Just a quick question regarding rounding of the spine of a knife. What are some simple and effective ways of doing this at home? I do not have a full machine shop, but basic tools and equipment. Thanks for any suggestions.

kalaeb

02-17-2013, 01:47 PM

I use a phone book, a good movie and some sandpaper. Put the phone book in between your legs, put the knife in the book and start rounding.

Well, okay, now I use a belt sander, but before that I used a phone book.

Benuser

02-17-2013, 01:52 PM

No powered equipment please.
Any medium coarse automotive sandpaper, from grit P120 to 700. It all depends on the result you want, and the abrasion resistance of the steel. Do you want the spine really to be rounded, or is it enough to have eased the edges? What kind of finish do you expect?
By the way, don't forget the choil.

jayhay

02-17-2013, 01:59 PM

I like the phone book idea for holding the knife, would work well :) Other than that, some 240 grit sandpaper, and a bit of time. Just litrally start hand-sanding down the hard edges off the spine. Pretty easy in all, and well worth the time. Gl!

Pensacola Tiger

02-17-2013, 02:26 PM

I got tired of having the sandpaper go to pieces on me as well as having to cut it into strips so I looked for something better and found it:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UUQMUM/

Highly recommended. Cloth backed and available in grits from 80 to 320.

Rick

Zwiefel

02-17-2013, 07:59 PM

I've only done it once...but I taped the sandpaper down to my countertop and ran the knife back and forth on the paper instead of vice-versa. Worked OK for me to ease the edges.

Mike9

02-17-2013, 08:36 PM

It depends on what your definition is "round" is. Could be ease the edge to full round - level of difficulty ranges from mild to wild. When using sand papers I put a strip of packing tape on the back and slice into strips. No tearing and long wearing - well till the grit wears off. I use a file if the spine is not too hard and my diamond plate if it is. Then I polish with papers.

marc4pt0

02-17-2013, 10:40 PM

just tried this for my first time 2 weeks ago. Wish I'd of thought/heard of the phone book idea! I just taped the cutting edge and maker's Mark (fh Hattori), and lightly dremel tooled the spine for abit. Then sand paper to finish and polish. I watched the entire Gettysburg movie while doing it, including a left over pizza break. went for the full round of the spine, which actually made the knife feel more like a laser. After taking the tape off and giving it a final rinse, I realised... I forgot the choil.

franzb69

02-17-2013, 11:32 PM

well i had to buy myself a small vice before i went to work rounding down the spines of my knives. lol. phonebooks here don't get issued as often as they should be.